


Ask a Smoking Gun

by Carmenlire



Series: Tumblr Prompts [9]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Immortal Husbands, M/M, Sick Magnus, Sickfic, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 02:02:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15402531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmenlire/pseuds/Carmenlire
Summary: Magnus is laying in the bed looking miserable and angry. He looks objectively awful-- there are shadows under his eyes, his pallor is strikingly similar to a ghost’s, and his nose is bright red. He’s wearing one of Alec’s hoodies and his hair is greasy and disheveled.All in all, he looks like he’s been laid low with a particularly nasty bout of the flu. Which, accurate.Alec takes care of a sick Magnus.





	Ask a Smoking Gun

**Author's Note:**

> Dialogue prompt by anonymous: "Don't die on me, please."

Alec carefully pushes the door open, making sure not to jostle the tray he’s carrying. As it swings open, he hears a wracking cough followed by a pitiful moan.

“Don’t die on me, please,” he says, smile on his face as he takes in his husband.

Magnus is laying in the bed looking miserable and angry. He looks objectively awful-- there are shadows under his eyes, his pallor is strikingly similar to a ghost’s, and his nose is bright red. He’s wearing one of Alec’s hoodies and his hair is greasy and disheveled.

All in all, he looks like he’s been laid low with a particularly nasty bout of the flu. Which, accurate.

But he also looks adorable. Magnus is always in command, powerful, and to see him at less than his best-- to be the only person allowed the privilege-- makes Alec’s heart clutch a little painfully. It helps that Magnus looks like a particularly pissed off and dejected puppy.

“Oh, fuck off, Alexander,” Magnus retorts but immediately sneezes half a dozen times in rapid succession, reaching for the box of tissues on the nightstand and blowing noisily into the bundle.

He doesn’t see his hair turn a different color after every sneeze and Alec resolves not to tell him-- it’s always fascinated him that even if Magnus has the common cold, his magic goes a little haywire, acting up in weirdly unpredictable but totally harmless ways.

“ _Ugh_ ,” he says. He looks at Alec with betrayed eyes. “What the hell is this? I’m the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Alexander, and here I am sniffling into my goddamn handkerchief like a dumbass.”

Alec moves over to the bed and places the tray on the nightstand. He looks down at Magnus, glint of humor in his eyes. “Do you know you swear more when you’re sick?”

Magnus just rolls his eyes before wincing at his headache, burying his head in his pillow. He says something but it’s muffled and Alec figures he probably doesn’t want to know what it is anyway.

He sits down at the edge of the bed and smiles softly at Magnus when he turns his face towards him. He reaches a hand out and places the back of it against Magnus’s forehead.

Magnus sighs in relief. “That feels so good, darling.”

Alec hums in acknowledgement and keeps his hand there for a few more moments. Magnus’s forehead is warm, verging on hot, but it’s definitely better than it was yesterday so Alec counts it as progress.

Alec is used to taking care of others when they’re sick. He has three younger siblings that have always been extremely needy when ill. As the big brother, nothing really phases him at this point-- plus, as Head of the Institute for so long, he’s gotten more than his fill of disgusting injuries when visiting his people in the infirmary.

He’s a champ nursemaid.

He moves his hand to Magnus’s cheek, stroking his thumb in slow, sweeping motions. Magnus relaxes a little into the bed and looks on the verge of sleep.

Alec gently stands up, grabbing a few of the vials on the tray, before going into the bathroom and turning on the water, watching as the tub fills up with steaming water. He pours the potions into the water and sees bubbles foaming, the relaxing scent of lavender and jasmine filling the room. Once it’s filled, he eases the water off and goes back to Magnus’s side.

Alec regrets what he’s about to do, but it can’t be helped.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Alec says, trying to rouse Magnus.

When that doesn’t get a reaction, Alec gently shakes Magnus’s shoulder. He watches as one eye slits open, bloodshot around the gold iris.

“Up for a bath, babe?”

Alec smiles softly as Magnus resolutely shakes his head like a little kid and turns his head into the pillow in an obvious show of ignoring him.

But Alec is a big brother and used to such tactics.

“C’mon, love, you’ll feel better. I promise you can take a nap after a quick bath.”

For a minute, it looks like Magnus is going to continue ignoring him but eventually he slumps before rolling onto his back. He looks at Alec, pouting.

“I don’t feel good.”

Alec’s heart turns over at the small words and he feels like a bully as he guides Magnus to sitting.

Alec helps him up, Magnus doing nothing whatsoever to help things. 

Once they’re both standing, Alec replies, “I know, baby, but I think your fever is about to break soon and bathing might help. Plus, you’ll feel better once you can sleep on clean sheets.”

They head into the bathroom and Alec reaches over to dim the lights when he sees Magnus’s wince.

Magnus stands, swaying on his feet, as Alec tugs his underwear and hoodie off, tossing them into the corner to deal with later. He helps Magnus into the steaming water, satisfied when Magnus is able to take a deep, steam-filled breath and his shoulders lose some of their tension.

Magnus slides down until he’s sitting in the bath and Alec reaches for shampoo, sets about washing and conditioning his hair.

Magnus is silent the entire time, eyes closed and focused on breathing. Alec can tell that he’s breathing easier thanks to the potions and as Magnus relaxes deeper into the water Alec turns to gently washing the rest of him.

Magnus is rarely sick. They’ve been married for thirty years next October and he’s only seen Magnus laid this low twice before. Both times he was just as insufferable and endearing.

The truth is, Alec loves being the person for Magnus. He doesn’t mind his temper or his surliness or taking care of his man-- indeed, he actually enjoys it. While he wishes the flu would hurry up and fuck off, in the meantime Alec is perfectly content to stay here and make sure that Magnus doesn't waste away.

After he’s done with the bath practicalities, he leaves Magnus dozing, going back to the bedroom. He throws Magnus’s clothes into the hamper on his way to their linen closet. He grabs a fresh set of sheets and sets about changing the bed. It only takes a few minutes and when he’s done, putting the dirty sheets in the hamper too, he goes back to the bathroom.

He stands at the doorway, leaning against the door and just watches Magnus for a minute. He looks the best he has in three days. Before Alec can straighten from the doorjamb, though, Magnus starts coughing, the hot water nozzle flying on and hot water gushing into the tub. 

Magnus wakes himself up, disoriented for a minute before glaring at the water. He looks up and his expression turns sheepish as he sees Alec standing there, brow raised and a little amused.

“It’s not my fault,” he says, frowning.

Alec just shakes his head, smiling, as he walks over to him and turns the water off, pulling the stopper while he’s at it.

He grabs a towel and helps his husband up, drying him efficiently, with a minimum of fuss. He catches Magnus’s lecherous look but just returns a deadpan, unimpressed expression and Magnus deflates, sighing and leaning heavily against him.

“When you’re all better we can do whatever you want, babe.”

Magnus perks up as much as he’s able. “Whatever I want?”

Inside, Alec is rolling his eyes-- Magnus loves acting tough and unaffected, especially when he’s suffering-- but this is the most animated he’s been all day and he's loathe to shut him down. “Magnus, you can fuck me from one end of this loft to the other once you can breathe without wheezing.”

Magnus immediately doubles over, coughing once more, and Alec just shakes his head as he gently sweeps an arm over his back, lightly patting it.

They go into the bedroom and Alec helps Magnus into another one of his hoodies and a pair a boxers. He combs his hair back and then gently guides him to bed, half sitting on a mountain of pillows.

Alec turns to the tray still on the nightstand. He picks up a mug of tea, bringing it around to Magnus. Magnus’s shoulders slump in defeat.

“I thought you said I could sleep after I had a bath?”

Alec smiles sympathetically. “I lied. I want you to drink some tea and see if you can handle some toast and then I promise you can go back to sleep.”

Magnus looks like he’s debating but eventually he just nods, resignedly. 

Alec gives the cup to Magnus and watches as he slowly drinks all of it. The tea was a special blend from his own apothecary, set to help with a sore throat and burning nose and a dozen other little complaints that flu always bring to the surface. His cheeks are flush when he’s done and Alec counts it as a win.

Magnus chokes down half a piece of toast, lightly buttered, before refusing to eat another bite. Alec knows when to accept loss, for now, so he doesn’t say anything, just setting the rest of the bread back on the tray.

Magnus shuffles until he’s laying down and looks at Alec with wide eyes. “Nap with me?”

Hopeless to deny him, Alec settles into the bed, stilling as Magnus moves until he can rest his head over Alec’s heart, leg thrown over his and hand curling on his chest.

Magnus loves cuddling but never more so than when he doesn’t feel his best. Alec sweeps a hand up and down Magnus’s back, soothing him to sleep.

It doesn’t take long until Alec hears Magnus’s snuffling little snores-- he only snores when he’s congested and while he’ll deny it to his dying day, Alec thinks they’re cute as hell.

Alec continues soothing Magnus in his sleep. He doesn’t have anywhere else to be and it’s kind of nice, holding Magnus like this.

His thoughts turn inward and before he knows it, he’s speaking quietly into the silence.

“I love you so much, you know? Even when you’re kind of gross with the flu, you’re still beautiful. Which is bullshit, if you ask me, but I’ve learned to just accept it. It’s just a fact of the universe that you’re cute when you sneeze and endearing when you pout and pretty even with bruised eyes and an inflamed nose.”

He takes Magnus’s hand, bringing it up to his mouth and kissing it softly.

“The best thing I ever did was save you from that circle member. We’ve been married twenty-nine years and I can’t wait for the next twenty nine, and the twenty nine after that. I’ll always be here to take care of you, love, whether it’s a cold or magic depletion or something else entirely.

“You’re it for me. I don’t know if I ever told you, if you even know, but shadowhunters only fall in love once. You’re my person and I’m so lucky I get to spend an eternity with you.”

In his sleep, Magnus sneezes with gusto, right on Alec’s shirt. Alec shakes his head even as he grimaces.

“Fuck knows I can’t wait for you to get better, though.”

Alec kisses the top of Magnus’s head and lets himself drift off, his husband’s snores ringing in his ears.

**Author's Note:**

> Catch me on tumblr @carmenlire! I'm always accepting prompts:)


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